Archive for Styling

With the holidays fast approaching, I stitched these black and white cloth napkins with some fabric remnants from the black and white chairs that I reupholstered.

Have you begun to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday? Will you do any decorating?

I have been working hard on an article for a new Canadian blogazine called The Purple Fig.(I will let you know as soon as it launches.) I am super enthused to share the step by step tutorial for this before and after chair upholstery.

Here is a sneak peak at how the chairs looked before I got a hold of them. I think you will agree they looked kind of crazy. The paint was either chippy in spots or goopy in others.

Stay tuned for the update on how they will be transformed. I have another BEAUTY out in the workshop today that I am going to begin sanding. Typing fast because I seriously can’t wait!

Have a fab weekend. See you Monday, when I post pictures of the new project!

I am feeling exuberant about my product photo shoot last weekend. Although, I usually prefer to work with photographers, sometimes it’s necessary to get creative with styling and work up a little photo shoot on your own spur of the moment. Here are the results of my playing around in my studio last weekend.

I’ve taken a bit of good advice from a friend to hone in on my PInk Pianos style story. It’s been fun to think about what I love about design. Global accents like this pillows are one example.

I often focus on the details…so knobs and hardware are small accents that feel important in designing a piece of furniture.

Last but not last, I’m excited to share with you this vintage modern accent chair. Finding the great vintage shapes and pairing them with modern fabric is the genuinely exciting for me.

I hope you have found my photos and thoughts on shop ownership interesting. Enough about me, I would love to hear from some of you about your Journey with product development. How do you find inspiration?..and how have you developed your brand and style? If you would like to be considered for a Friday feature please contact me. I’d love to bring new designers to the attention and benefit of us all!

I am content to say that this summer has been all about being outdoors, fresh air, swimming and European vacation is on the not-so-distant horizon. I wanted to share with you the Modern European porch that I have been designing along with a few gorgeous photos to leave your Monday feeling inspired.

You may remember Mary Anna’s Porch refresh from a few weeks ago. It is coming together as realized from our Inspiration Board above. We are still in search of the perfect garden stool table. I am really leaning towards the white one in the photo above. .

Here are some leafy reddish plants that my client had potted an placed near her charming boites aux lettres.

Below at left, is an arrangement that I adore! We just had it custom made for her dining room table. At right is one of my favorite combinations of potted lavender and and tiny white blooms.

One last little morsel that I found on Pinterest (oh yeah…I’m hooked!) This is something that may guide my design for our Restoration Home in Kentucky. Looking to put in a more charming and narrow pathway leading from the front of the home to the back. I’m imagining a combination of these two, with large flagstones and moss in between. Which one do you like best…and why?

Can you believe that my neighbors were getting rid of these charming little french country style iron seats? I came across these seats on a jog, and needless to say I quickly jogged all the way home to find my wallet before someone else got these! In the beginning, they looked less than appealing in a kitschy vintage fabric that was not meant for outdoors.

After a few weeks in my studio. First I recovered them, I found vinyl underneath the old fabric, which I kept because the vinyl provides a nice moisture barrier. The next step was to buy the perfect fabric that is made for the outdoors, but can be used indoors. I felt this fabric ny Sunbrella had a complimentary print for a round seat. I also liked the contemporary, yet abstract quality of the pattern. the fabric is very sturdy and will not fade in sunlight, which was important to me. The chair back is done in a light Belgian linen that will weather well.

We are also getting in the mood to spend more time outside this summer. The weather in Los Angeles has been so mild and pretty.

I wanted to leave you with a little inspirational photography to get you going this week!

Last year, I hand painted his black and white zig-zag wall for a commercial film shoot. You can see how I did it back then. I was thrilled when I received this update from Trevor. He is a Director/Producer and I suspect he has a Designer streak as well after seeing how he put together the space. He found a gorgeous modern wood bed to effectively style the room. After looking around at many of the relevant design chains, he found this at BluePrint furniture. This reminded me that a while back, I once found functional modern chairs and desks for an Office Space. Seeing as how it’s only three blocks away, I should always check out this place!

The timing couldn’t have been more serendipitous because I just finished up-cycling a mini console table that I plan to show you this weekend.